Greatest Moment in Marlins History: #40 The First Rookie NLCS MVP

August 27, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Livan Hernandez (61) celebrates a victory with catcher Jonathan Lucroy (20) against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Brewers beat the Cubs 15-4. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome back to the Greatest Moment in Marlins History. Early I said that even though the Marlins have a short history they have done a lot of baseball firsts. Moment 40 on our list was the first of its kind in the National League. Today we bring Livan Hernandez’s NLCS MVP award, making him the first rookie to ever win an NLCS MVP.

The year was 1997 and the Marlins were in their first playoff ever. After only 5 years (I say 4 because of the strike), they made it to the NLCS. Their opponent? The NL East champions and Marlins rival, the Atlanta Braves. What were the Marlins to do? Easy, in comes Livan! Livan pitched in 2 games and he pitched 10.2 innings, 1 complete game, had an ERA of 0.84, gave up 1 run, 5 hits, and struck out 16 Braves batters. To make it even more impressive, his 2 games that he pitched were both for wins! Livan was 2-0 for the NLCS. He also set a record for a playoff game that we will get into later on this list. These are impressive numbers over all, but you have to remember this was Livan’s rookie year. Which makes it all the more impressive that he won the NLCS MVP, making him the first rookie to ever win the award!

It’s always nice to remember a first in baseball history, especially when it belongs to the Marlins. How about tomorrow we talk about the quickest to a stat? Join me and see what I’m talking about.